InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (2003) User Reviews

A marked improvement.

[Abbykat · 9/10 · 25 October 2004]

Although Tenka Hadou no Ken is the third Inuyasha feature film, it's the first of them to actually have the scope of a full-length feature. The other two movies were basically just longish episodes, and could have easily been divided up into the series itself. Tenka no Hadou Ken has the feel of something bigger.

This may be at least in part because of the storyline of the movie, which reaches back to the time of Inuyasha's birth and his father's death. We finally get a look at his father, Inu no Taisho, and a peek into the pasts of Inuyasha, his parents, and his brother Sesshoumaru.

The plot in brief: most Inuyasha fans probably already know about the two swords Inu no Taisho left his sons, Tessaiga and Tenseiga. The title of Tenka no Hadou Ken - which translates to "The Sword of World Conquest" - refers to a third sword, Sou'unga. While Tessaiga is the sword of man, and Tenseiga is the sword of heaven, Sou'unga is the sword of hell. After Inu no Taisho's death, it was sealed - only to end up at the Higurashi shrine in the present day for Kagome and Inuyasha to run across.

Predictably enough, all hell breaks loose.

Tenka no Hadou Ken is particularly interesting because not only does it give us a glimpse of Inuyasha's father, it also provides a peek at the inner workings of his brother Sesshoumaru, one of the series' more inscrutable characters. The movie also contains all the ingredients that make the series what it is: the semi-mythological setting and most of the regular cast of characters, whose interaction is as layered and satisfying as ever. Although the somewhat grim storyline mostly precludes humor once it gets going, there are a few comedic moments - most notably the opening scene with Inuyasha and Kagome, which is comedy gold.

Fans of the series should definitely not miss this installment.

A Surprisingly Good Film

[janqb · 8/10 · 16 April 2005]

"Tenka Hadou No Ken" or "Sword of World Conquest" (SOWC) may easily be the best Inuyasha movie ever. My guess is that if you're curious about seeing the third Inuyasha film then you are already an Inuyasha fan, so I'll write this for all you "otakus" out there!

In SOWC, the ghost Soyosama, a former counsel of Inuyasha's father, releases the evil demonic sword Sounga from its sheath after containing it for 700 years. Somehow the sword has ended up in the Higurashi family temple in modern-day Tokyo and Inuyasha and Kagome everywhere throughout Japan. The Sounga is connected intimately with Inuyasha's past and we learn more about Inuyasha's family history and the existence of the three great swords, including the Sounga.

Not only is SOWC a genuine movie (and not just a long tiresome episode), it is more surprisingly a GOOD film! SOWC is well-scripted with excellent pacing, rich setting, and an exciting climax. You can tell that the Inuyasha movie production team finally took the time to learn how a film differs from an animated sitcom. For fans, it fills the gap in our understanding of Inuyasha's origins and the history between his demon father and human mother.

I highly recommend this film and hope the Inuyasha 4: Fire on the Mystical Island proves to be as good or even better. Even though it's a nonsequitur I must add that this female otaku thinks Inuyasha's older brother, Sesshyomaru, is a real babe.

Hit and Miss... but mostly Hit

[mistress_centipede · 7/10 · 29 September 2005]

This had to be the best of any Inuyasha movie released in English thus far. Even if you haven't been a geek sworn in to the series, you'll understand the basic storyline, very much unlike the previous two.

This is not for the lovebirds in the audience, it's more for the series' main genre, the action (battle of the brothers to be precise). The movie's OC villain, Takemaru, was surprisingly deep and had an exceptional storyline laced with Izayoi, Inuyasha's mother. The father of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, however, was probably the highlight of this feature, he himself was worth seeing the entire movie for.

However, there were one or two things that troubled me about this story. There were many out-of-character moments that just irked me, but that's to be expected by the people who write the movies, and are not too familiar with the original manga.

Though, I'm happy to say that this movie's animation is much more consistent and mirrors both the manga and anime stylings very well. The music is amazing, I was happy to see some of the old stuff from the first season mixed in there. "Four Seasons" at the end was also a very nice treat.

All and all, I would say that this is one that needs to be seen by any fan, avid or not.

My favorite Inuyasha movie

[J5iftY5iveXtreme · 9/10 · 18 August 2006]

May contain spoilers

Intro

Once upon a time in Japan, a great demon fell in love with a beautiful (but mortal) woman. This love affair led to the birth of a very unique creature - not a human being, yet not fully demon either. His name...Inuyasha (literraly, "dog demon").

Rumiko Takahashi's "Inuyasha" (named after its central character) is one of the most popular mangas of all time. It has inspired a popular anime series and several movies. Among these movies is this one, titled "Swords of an Honorable Ruler."

Story

The "Swords of an Honorable Ruler" referred to in the title are swords that once belonged toInuyasha's father - the Tetsuiga of Earth (wielded by none other than our hero), the Tensaiga of Heaven (wielded by Inuyasha's full demon older bro Sesshomaru), and a third one - Sounga of Hell, a sword so powerful that it can cause great destruction and open the door to the Netherworld.

Now, it so happens that this Sounga sword finds its way into Inuyasha's possession and it starts wrecking havoc everywhere. To stop this evil sword from causing destruction, Inuyasha must combine his Wind Scar (his sword's special attack) with Sesshomaru's sword attack. But can these two brothers who are completely different from each other (one is a haughty full demon, the other a stubborn half-demon) cooperate to stop this evil?

Comments

This third "Inuyasha" movie is perhaps the best one I've seen so far. It's got better (achingly beautiful) animation and there's so much action. The music by Kaoru Wada also keeps getting better.

Like all "Inuyasha" movie, this one includes the main cast of characters - Inuyasha, the hero himself and Kagome, the human girl from the future who travels back in time via an enchanted well. Other famous characters include the lecherous yet lovable monk Miroku and the feisty demon slayer Sango. It was too bad that they didn't have other well-loved characters such as Kikyo or Kagura. But does that really matter?

An addition to the cast of characters is Takemaru, a samurai lord who loved Inuyasha's mother and died in battle with Inuyasha's father. He has just been resurrected by the Sounga and, with that demonic sword having taken possession of his body, he's out to get Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. He's an interesting character and great addition to the cast.

Sesshomaru, our hero's older bro, plays a major role in this movie and he's the one who really steals the show. Furthermore, we get to see Inuyasha's mother (last seen in the first season of the anime) and (finally) his father, the Great Dog Demon. This film delves into Inuyasha's family history and explores his relationship with his haughtily full demon older brother, who looks down on Inuyasha for being only a half-demon.

"Swords of an Honorable Ruler" is also packed with powerful, moving scenes. Gotta love that scene where Sesshomaru is asked by his father whether he has someone to protect and year later sternly replies that he has no one to protect but later save Rin and Jaken. Such a perfect blend of Sesshomaru's haughty arrogance and his caring, fatherly side.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, this is one of the best "Inuyasha" movies, if not the very best.

breathtakingly brilliant!!!

[harrypottersaks · 10/10 · 27 August 2005]

yes. i am such a die-hard inuyasha fan i'm gonna label this the best anime movie ever (however i'm aware my biased opinion will not convince everyone). still, out of the 4 inuyasha movies out there, this 3rd movie contains all the good qualities an anime movie should have. let me start by saying the movie can be almost written as canon (meaning, it follows somewhat the original storyline). it is well animated (althought the 4th movie has the best animation)... and the fact that sesshoumaru here has so many screen minutes. in this film, you can also see sesshoumaru realizing he does care for someone (albeit trying hard to maintain his aloofness and denying it). it's also surprising in one of the battle scenes that he took the hit for inuyasha - showing he does not really HATE inuyasha that much.

if there's only one thing that 'dirties' this movie, it's whenever kagome is on the scene. granted, i really despised her character. she did nothing in this movie that actually helped except for the fact she screamed to sesshoumaru to actually help inuyasha (much to my fave half-demon's ire). even rin had a use in this movie.. kagome: just plain useless.

but don't let kagome's uselessness (note to all kagome-haters) deter you from watching or owning a DVD of this film. if you liked the two previous inu movies (this one is a guarantee to be your favourite). i have the dvds of the two films and cant wait for the sept 6 release of this film.

then, i'll be patiently waiting for the 4th one!!!

Ladies and gentleman, the best Inuyasha film award goes to...

[OtkGrl13 · 9/10 · 2 September 2009]

-THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS REGARDING FILM PLOT/CHARACTERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED-

...Inuyasha 3, Swords of an Honorable Ruler!!! -applause- It's true folks, from all the Inuyasha films, this film is the best of all the installments, (includes the 1st, 2nd, and the 4th) This is because the story didn't resolve around Kagome being a damsel in distress or drama in the never ending love triangle of Kagome/Kikyo/Inuyasha. No, we are finally given a story that reveals just what is special of the swords Inuyasha and Sesshomaru possess and a third sword which belonged to the siblings father that is the trouble in the story..

The film focuses on the 'mysterious sword' later to be revealed as Sounga, the demon possessed soul looking to conquer the lands. What's amazing about this film is the fact sounga is a demon possessed sword that can control the dead as well as fight so well that even Inuyasha and Sesshomaru aren't able to defeat without working together. but there the question is: will the siblings put their own grudges aside and fight side-by-side with the swords given to them by their father, (whom we get to see in the film briefly in the intro and conclusion), without killing each other?

It really is an amazing film for the story line and actual character development in the film. Sesshomaru's character throughout the show has always been dark and secret, yet in the film we see more to what his father meant to him and just what kind of a person he is. Another plus side to the film is the action build-up where our heroes, along with sesshoumaru and his crew of Rin, Jaken and Ah-Uhn, along with the sword maker Totosai -i think i spelled his name right- fight the army of the dead, literally, controlled by Sounga and the man known as Takemaru. (a samurai who battled against Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's dad and lost)

As great as this film is, it only gets 9/10 only because of one character who remains consistently annoying throughout the film in my opinion.

KAGOME just can't seem to remember the hero's name, since she's constantly shouting/screaming/saying/whispering his name at least 100 times in just one sentence. Like, i'm glad she's no damsel in this film and actually does some ass-kicking with a headstrong attitude. But it's not needed to have someone shout the hero's name, especially when the hero is either fighting, saving someone, trying to get something done, does his own thing, or is busy.

The old gang, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo are great too, with the role of supporting our hero. Miroku and Sango even have their moment which is really sweet to watch. So all-in-all, watch the film cause it's great from start to finish with fantastic action and a few romantic moments. A must for any Inuyasha fan.

Hello Inuyasha!

[ericstevenson · 9/10 · 20 May 2017]

It was weird looking back at a time when this show was everywhere and everyone was talking about it. Now that it's been over for awhile now, people are just more interested in currently running anime. I remember reading a magazine that talked all about the anime and explained all the characters. I feel bad for forgetting a lot of the plot. Then again, I never watched a single episode. I did end up reading the final chapter of the manga. I mean, that was so significant even as someone who wasn't a fan I had to see that! Well, my movie certainly jogged my memory. Maybe the best part is how it begins by giving Inuyasha's origin story.

We even get Kagome tell us about everything that's going on in the show so it's very easy for non fans to catch up with everything! Thanks, Kagome! This was my first time watching "Inuyasha" and it's great to be watching something so popular. The best part about this was probably the animation. I mean, everything is so gorgeous here. It looks brand new! I was able to remember the characters and am glad they all contributed to the plot. This movie's plot features a magic sword that corrupts its users. We get zombies which is always a plus. I rarely see that in anime, so thank you, Inuyasha! ***1/2